Agility Grants
NCPG’s Agility Grant initiative offers funding to nonprofits, empowering them to implement and expand problem gambling prevention programs in their communities.
This program is generously funded by the NFL via the NFL Foundation with additional support from PlayTech, FanDuel, and GeoComply.
The Agility Grants program is the first-ever program to offer national grants in problem gambling prevention. More than $1 million in funding support will be granted from 2022 to 2024 to establish and enhance problem gambling prevention strategies.?
Agility Grants funding will support the innovation and amplification of prevention programming by encouraging new activities, validating growing initiatives, expanding proven programming and more.
NCPG welcomes Agility Grant applications from any U.S. based nonprofit engaging in problem gambling prevention programming. NCPG Membership is not required to submit an application.
Agility Grants Fall 2024
The Fall 2024 funding round is now closed for applications.
The Spring 2025 application period will open in January.
Agility Grants Open Office Hours
Agility Grants Office Hours appointments are 30-minute, one-on-one consultations to address any questions regarding grant eligibility, strategic priorities, application fields, or other grant-related questions.
Program Evaluation Assistance Sessions
Agility Grant recipients and applicants are encouraged to sign up for a one-hour, one-on-one session with Dr. Courser to help refine and structure the evaluation piece of their Agility Grant application.
Agility Grants Fall 2024 Info Session
This 60-minute webinar will provide information on how to apply for Agility Grants funding. Geared for first-time applicants, the webinar is designed to help you to submit your best application possible.
The Basics of Program Evaluation Webinar
The webinar is a starting point that will help participants answer the following questions for their programs: What does success look like? How do we achieve results? And how do we measure our results with limited resources? The session will provide participants with resources to get started and will focus on how high-quality evaluations not only strengthen applications but also improve the quality and impact of work during program implementation.
Strategic Priorities
Prevention Innovation
Prevention Innovation aims to foster and accelerate the development, deployment, research, and evaluation of problem gambling prevention programs and curricula to communities disproportionately affected by problem gambling.
Investments aim to:
- launch innovative new prevention programs,
- support the expansion of promising programs,
- validate existing program effectiveness through research. ?
Investments seek to catalyze prevention programs that adhere to the?SAMHSA prevention framework and create proof points that can be scaled to new communities and localities. Funds will support the launch of prevention gambling programs as well evaluation of program efficacy. Applications must include an evaluation component.
Prevention Amplification
Prevention Amplification aims promote new thought leaders and platforms to educate communities about problem gambling.
Investments aim to:
- increase community awareness, response and support through the identification and elevation of new leaders,
- support new partnerships and new voices within the problem gambling community,
- prioritize youth voices, as well as leaders of color.
Investments may also support new collaborations within or beyond problem gambling prevention (e.g., with other substance abuse prevention communities) with the stated purpose of driving prevention initiatives.?Priority will be placed on elevating perspectives from communities disproportionately affected by problem gambling. ??
Grant Recipients
Agility Grants help build much-needed momentum toward reducing the long-term personal, social and economic costs of problem gambling. NCPG is proud to support each Agility Grants recipient as they work within their communities to bring about positive social change.
FAQs
To qualify for an Agility Grant, applicants must be designated by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Newly designated 501(c)(3) organizations will be considered as long as they have documentation showing their accepted 501(c)(3) status.??
Agility Grants will not be provided for any of the following:??
- Fundraising campaigns that directly benefit applicant organizations??
- Individuals?
- Any entity without a US public charity 501(c)(3) designation?
- Organizations or programs outside the United States?
- Lobbying activities and/or political campaigns?
Yes! Organizations that are not NCPG Members or State Affiliates are welcome and encouraged to apply. Membership status has no impact on the application scoring and evaluation process. NCPG Members and non-members are invited to apply for Agility Grants.?
Agility Grant awards range between $20,000 – $40,000. We recommend aligning your funding request within that range.
The Fall 2024 funding round will be open for applications from July 10 to August 21, 2024. The application deadline is Wednesday, Aug 21, 2024 at 11:59 pm ET.
Agility Grants are submitted online via an OpenWater platform. You can access the application portal using the link above during the application period.
Yes! The primary applicant can add collaborators so multiple people can work on the grant application.
Fall Agility Grant award announcements will be made in October 2024.??
All program activities for the grant funded project must take place within the grant period.
Agility Grants have two strategic priorities, Prevention Innovation and Prevention Amplification. Proposed projects must align with one or both strategic priorities.??
Prevention Innovation aims to foster and accelerate the development, deployment, research, and evaluation of problem gambling prevention programs and curricula to communities disproportionately affected by problem gambling. In short, investments aim to launch innovative new prevention programs, support the expansion of promising programs, or validate existing program effectiveness through research. ?
Prevention Amplification aims to increase community awareness, response and support through the identification and elevation of new leaders, new partnerships and new voices within the problem gambling community, prioritizing youth as well as leaders of color. In short, investments seek to promote new thought leaders and platforms to educate communities about problem gambling. Projects may target professional forums and other education initiatives designed to reach communities underserved by problem gambling prevention programs. Investments may also support new collaborations within or beyond problem gambling prevention (e.g., with other substance abuse prevention communities) with the stated purpose of driving prevention initiatives.?Priority will be placed on elevating perspectives from communities disproportionately affected by problem gambling. ??
No. We recognize that treatment and responsible gambling programs are valuable and impactful programs worthy of funding. However, these programs fall outside the scope of the Agility Grants strategic priorities. Agility Grants are meant to fund problem gambling prevention programs.
Problem gambling prevention programs are those designed to minimize harm among those who have not yet gambled or among those who have limited gambling experience.
Examples of programs/projects that we do NOT consider prevention programs include, (but not limited to):?
- Hiring of additional counselors who would provide counseling to those recovering from gambling addiction.??
- Training for mental health professionals to gain problem gambling treatment credentials.??
- Expansion of gambling addiction/problem gambling call support line.??
- PSA campaign promoting existing services to treat those with an active gambling addiction.??
Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the SAMHSA Strategic Prevention Framework prior to submission.
Agility Grants aim to fund projects reaching populations at higher risk of developing a gambling problem, including: ?
- middle school, high school and college students?
- middle school, high school and college athletes?
- Black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian and other communities of color?
- Communities disproportionately affected by problem gambling?
Furthermore, Agility Grants will fund problem gambling prevention programs that minimize harm on a primary level or secondary level.?
- Primary level: among those who have not yet gambled.
- Secondary level: among those who have limited gambling experience.
Priority will be given to projects/programs that target prevention on the primary level.??
Yes! Grant funding can be used to pay staff, including contractors or temporary staff, who are directly designing, deploying or launching the proposed project/program.
Yes, as long as overhead and indirect program expenses do not make up more than 15% of your total grant expenditures.
Yes!??
Applicants are required to submit letters of support from any partners involved in the proposed program/project. We recognize that until funding is deployed, it can be difficult to obtain signed commitment letters. To that end, we ask that you submit a letter of support where partner organizations can outline their intent to work with you on the project should funding be awarded. We offer a template?for your use or reference. If you choose to use your own, please reference the template to ensure your letter includes the desired information.
Applications are reviewed by NCPG Agility Grants program staff and an external committee made up of experts in the field of problem gambling. Every application is reviewed closely. We look for proposals that show strength in the following areas: strategic fit with the grant-making priorities, project feasibility, proposed impact and evaluation methods, organizational capacity and effectiveness, budget/effective use of grant funds.????
NCPG will conduct a midyear check-in call with Agility Grant recipients approximately 6 months into the grant period to discuss progress to date on the funded program and any unanticipated challenges or changes to the originally proposed program. Agility Grant recipients are also required to submit a written final impact report, via our online grants management system, no more than one month after the grant period closes. This impact report requests program activity data, demographic data about participants/beneficiaries, and qualitative questions on program impact, achievements, lessons learned, and evaluation methods.??
Only one application per organization can be submitted.
Organizations who applied in the most recent previous round of Agility Grants are not eligible to apply for the current round of grants. Those organizations must wait until the next round of Agility Grants to reapply.
Yes, you can download a preview of the application here. Please note that all applications must be submitted via the online application system.